title: Electrophysiological evidence of early processing deficits in alexithymia.
abstract: Alexithymia describes difficulties to identify and describe one's emotions. Previous research focused on difficulties associated with the later processing stages of appraisal in alexithymia. We tested whether early processing deficits are apparent in alexithymic persons and whether these abnormalities contribute to later processing difficulties. 20 participants were selected and identified as either having high (HDA) or low (LDA) degrees of alexithymia. IAPS pictures were presented while EEG was recorded. For HDA subjects processing of emotional pictures was accompanied by reduced P1 amplitudes most pronounced for pleasant and neutral pictures. In response to unpleasant pictures the P3 amplitudes were reduced. These amplitude modulations were predicted only by one alexithymia facet. P1 amplitudes systematically covaried with P3 amplitudes supporting the assumption that deficits in early emotional processing contribute to later processing deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany. pollatos@uni-potsdam.de
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pollatos
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gramann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult